The group took the items and expressed that they would commit everything to memory.
Su Qing nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Remembering it well is for the best. Now, follow Hu Lin'er to the Daoist temple! As for who will serve as the Temple Head, well, we will discuss that later."
Su Qing hadn't yet decided who should lead them, as she wasn't entirely clear on their actual capabilities.
Therefore, she planned to observe them for a while longer.
The group hurriedly nodded, stating they would definitely complete the tasks Su Qing had entrusted to them.
However, beyond that, they didn't seem to have any other lines... they just repeated the same few phrases over and over. It was clear that even now, they were still in a state of extreme nervousness.
Su Qing understood this well, so she didn't criticize them. She simply nodded and let them follow Hu Lin'er to the temple.
Although Hu Lin'er didn't want to see her father, she would still earnestly carry out the tasks Su Qing assigned.
Thus, she quickly set off for the temple with the group.
Soon after delivering them to their destination, Hu Lin'er returned.
"Little Master, are these people reliable?" Hu Lin'er couldn't help but ask.
Su Qing nodded. "The people your father chose couldn't possibly be too stupid. They should be reliable. At the very least... they won't do a poor job."
Su Qing didn't expect any extraordinary surprises from them; as long as they could do what she told them, that was enough.
As for anything else, there was no need to care.
Hu Lin'er remained silent for a moment before nodding. "You seem to have quite a bit of trust in my father, Little Master."
"Trust? You could certainly say that. After all, your father is indeed quite trustworthy when it comes to getting things done," Su Qing said with a shrug.
"Is that so?" Hu Lin'er asked. "What about me?"
"You? I trust you even more, of course." Su Qing raised an eyebrow slightly, a smile playing on her lips.
She wasn't lying; she did trust Hu Lin'er immensely.
After all, if she didn't trust her, she wouldn't keep her by her side, let alone leave everything for her to handle.
As for who she trusted more...
It was definitely Hu Lin'er.
As for the Old Deer, her trust was primarily in his competence.
In other respects, his level of trust couldn't compare to Hu Lin'er's.
Hu Lin'er looked relieved, then with a smile on her face, she nodded and said, "I understand, Little Master. Thank you for your trust."
Su Qing only smiled and didn't say anything more.
Their conversation came to an abrupt end.
Afterward, it was the usual daily routine.
Time flew by, and night arrived.
On the Changbai Mountains, Su Qing set down her teacup in the courtyard.
She then rose and floated toward a certain spot in the county town below the mountain.
Seeing this, Bai Zhu was confused about what Su Qing was going to do, but Su Qing was already far away, and it was too late to ask.
On the side, Chen Nianxin watched Su Qing float away and couldn't help but sneer, her face showing a slightly displeased expression. "Who knows which 'sister' she's going to have a date with tonight."
Chen Nianxin was as sharp-tongued as ever—or rather, as annoying and ill-tempered as ever.
Bai Zhu shook her head. "Sister Su isn't that kind of person. How could she be going on a date this late? She probably has something to handle."
Bai Zhu already understood Chen Nianxin's personality, so she wasn't angry; she simply offered a calm explanation.
Chen Nianxin gave a light laugh. "You actually believe her nonsense. What could there be to handle in the middle of the night? Even if there is, it's probably something that can't see the light of day."
"Sister Chen, don't be so dark-hearted. You need to be more positive," Bai Zhu said with a sweet smile, looking adorable.
Her words sounded very innocent, as if she were truly advising someone to be virtuous.
But in reality, this appearance of Bai Zhu's was just an act.
After all, she had never been someone who leaned toward the light...
The reason she acted this way was purely to counter Chen Nianxin.
Chen Nianxin's expression immediately became one of displeasure. She let out a huff and continued bickering with Bai Zhu.
To her, she was idle anyway; finding someone to argue with was more interesting.
Moreover, she really didn't want to admit defeat.
She could accept losing to Su Qing, but if she couldn't even win an argument against this girl, it would be quite embarrassing.
Su Qing wasn't very clear on what was happening on the mountain, nor did she care to check; she was simply going about her business.
At this moment, she had already arrived above the place where the cat girl lived.
This place was far from the town center, a small village on the outskirts of the county.
There weren't many people in the village, perhaps only a few dozen households.
Most of the houses were very simple.
Su Qing looked down at the house...
It was very ordinary and crude, just a mud-brick hut.
Just like most people's homes.
'It seems... they have still been living quite a hard life all these years,' Su Qing thought, shaking her head as she looked.
Then, she lowered her cloud and landed in the small courtyard.
A few vegetables were planted in the yard, but very few—not even enough for a family to eat.
Su Qing shook her head and silently entered the house.
She came to the cat girl's side.
While asleep, the cat girl was no longer hiding her ears and tail.
'Mhm, as expected, a cat girl looks adorable no matter how you look at her,' Su Qing couldn't help but think, nodding to herself.
For Su Qing, it was indeed hard to resist such cute creatures.
Just as she told outsiders...
She was never a 'Dragon Girl controller.'
To be more accurate, she simply had no resistance toward beautiful girls with horns or animal ears.
As for the fact that there were many dragon girls around her...
Su Qing couldn't deny it, but it wasn't by her choice; there were many accidents involved.
She didn't know how she had mysteriously ended up with so many dragon girls around her.
And thus, the strange title of 'Dragon Girl controller' had spread.
Rumors were often beyond one's control.
Fortunately, Su Qing had long since grown accustomed to it and didn't care much.
Su Qing looked at the cat girl and saw her brow furrowed tightly. The two cute cat ears on her head were twitching slightly; she seemed to be having a nightmare.
One could imagine how difficult it was for such an 'anomalous' human to live in this quite closed and ancient society, and how much she must have experienced.
In fact, Su Qing had given them another choice back then...
That was to enter the demon town and become an ordinary member of that community.
There, she naturally wouldn't face discrimination or prejudice.
After all, the people there were even stranger than she was.
However, they ultimately hadn't chosen her suggestion.
Su Qing shook her head and said, "Although I have long since forgotten your name... seeing how cute you are, I'll help you out a little."
Su Qing didn't plan to do too much; she only intended to meet her in a dream and then... decide what to do.
With that thought, Su Qing pinched a hand seal.
Then, she entered her dreamscape.
Arriving in the cat girl's dream, she found it filled with darkness and loneliness, as if it were a land of the dead.
And here, the cat girl appeared as she did when she was a child, currently being bullied by several other children...
At the same time, not far from the cat girl, her adult self stood silently watching the scene, doing nothing, her eyes slightly dim.
With a thought, Su Qing appeared beside her and said, "Watching your younger self being bullied, why don't you step in and help?"
Hearing Su Qing's voice, the cat girl looked up at her and said flatly, "It's just a dream. Even if I step in, so what? My past won't change because of it."
She was a bit dejected, but her words did hold some truth.
What surprised Su Qing was that this girl didn't show the slightest bit of surprise at her arrival.
She didn't know if the girl took her for a dream NPC or if she had anticipated her arrival.
"The past is fixed, but the future can be changed. Perhaps by doing something, the future will change? Besides, can you really bear to watch your younger self being bullied?" Su Qing asked curiously.
"Can the future be changed? If the future could be changed, that would be nice. Unfortunately... there's nothing about my future that can be changed... I can't find immortals, I can't learn immortal arts. I will forever be just an anomaly among mortals."
The cat girl looked at her younger self in the distance, her tone frighteningly flat as she said, "As for helping my younger self... I already told you. Moreover, doing that wouldn't make me feel any better... it would just make me feel like I'm practicing self-deception."
The cat girl's words were still filled with dejection, leaving Su Qing somewhat helpless.
This girl was indeed even more pessimistic than she had expected. She really didn't know how she had managed to keep living until now.
Was it because of her mother and father?
Su Qing wasn't sure.
She gave a helpless smile and said, "Perhaps I can help you change something!"
Hearing this, the cat girl looked up at Su Qing, shook her head, and said, "You are but a scene in my dream. What can you do?"
"A scene in a dream? Who knows! Perhaps I'm not?" Su Qing smiled and shook her head. "But I am a bit curious—how do you know you are dreaming?"
Su Qing asked this not because she didn't understand why the cat girl knew she was dreaming; she knew very well. She said it purely to guide the girl to think—to think about what kind of existence Su Qing was and whether she was an NPC in her dream.
After all, to begin the subsequent conversation, she first had to make this girl understand the current situation.
And after Su Qing said those words...
The cat girl indeed froze.
She stared blankly at Su Qing, thoughts flashing rapidly through her mind. Then she said, "I... I've had this ability since I was a child. I can often wake up within my own dreams and then watch them like a bystander."
After answering Su Qing's question, she immediately followed up: "You... you aren't a person from my dream! You... who are you? Why can you enter my dream?"
As the cat girl spoke, her gaze instantly became wary.
While she didn't exactly bristle, she was at least much more alert than before.
However, she didn't make any moves, nor was she in a hurry to wake up, because she knew that if the person before her could enter her dreamscape, they were certainly no ordinary person. Even if she made a move, it would be useless, so it was better to have a good talk and figure things out first.
Hearing the cat girl's words, Su Qing knew her prompt had indeed made her think.
Then, she rubbed her chin and said with a beaming smile, "Didn't you just come to find me today? You even said you wanted to see me. Why is it that now that I've come to see you, you look so wary?"
As soon as Su Qing said this, the cat girl was stunned, a look of surprise flashing in her eyes.
She looked at Su Qing in disbelief and asked, "Are you... the Azure Spirit Sovereign? You truly heard my prayer? You... you truly exist?!"
The cat girl was extremely surprised now, as if she had discovered something incredible.
At this moment, she also understood why Su Qing had said the future could be changed and that she might be able to help her.
Because she truly could do it...
Su Qing smiled and shook her head. "Since you didn't think I was real, why did you come to find me and beg me?"
"I... I just... my brain didn't react in time. I didn't know what to say and said the wrong thing. Please forgive me, Sovereign!" the cat girl said, hurriedly apologizing.
"Forget it, forget it. I didn't plan to hold you responsible. I'm not that petty of a deity."
Seeing this, Su Qing waved her hand with an air of indifference and said calmly, "Alright, since you already know who I am, tell me—why did you want to see me? What kind of wish do you have that you wanted to make to my face?"
Hearing this, the cat girl didn't hesitate for a second. She immediately knelt on the ground and said to Su Qing, "I beg the Sovereign to take me as a disciple! No, I don't dare ask to be your disciple—as long as I can be a outer disciple and learn a bit of immortal arts, this humble girl will be satisfied."
The cat girl didn't dare to hope for too much...
After all, she knew the person before her was the Azure Spirit Sovereign!
She was the Mountain God of the sacred Changbai Mountains!
She was the most, most, most important and greatest deity of this vast land.
Becoming her personal disciple—how could that be possible?
Even becoming a outer disciple would be a tremendous honor.
Besides... as long as she could learn immortal arts.
Whether she was a outer disciple or a personal disciple didn't matter.
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